Parental Internet Use and Health Information Seeking Behavior Comparing Elective and Emergency Pediatric Surgical
Michael Kien Yee Wong1, Daveraj Sivasegaran1, Candy Suet Cheng Choo2
1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Insights
Parents of children undergoing surgery often seek online health information, but many still rely on friends and family. Surgeons should consider these information-seeking behaviors during patient consultations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Health Informatics
- Patient Education
Background:
- Parents of children undergoing surgical procedures frequently utilize online resources for health information.
- Understanding these digital health information-seeking behaviors is crucial for effective patient communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the usage patterns of online health information among parents whose children are undergoing elective or emergency surgical procedures.
- To identify the primary sources of health information parents consult and their reasons for seeking it.
Main Methods:
- A prospective survey of 84 parents of children undergoing common elective or emergency surgical operations was conducted.
- The survey included questions on demographics, internet usage, and information-seeking behaviors regarding their child's condition.
- Chi-square tests were used to analyze categorical data, with a significance level of p < 0.05.
Main Results:
- Despite high internet availability (96.4%) and daily usage (88.1%), only 70-76% of parents accessed online information about their child's condition.
- Friends and family were more frequently consulted (54-70.6%) than healthcare professionals for additional information.
- Over 95% of parents found online information consistent with their doctor's advice, primarily seeking details on the condition and treatment.
Conclusions:
- A significant portion of parents do not access condition-specific online medical information, relying more on informal networks.
- Societal and cultural norms influence information-seeking behaviors, highlighting the importance of informal support systems.
- Healthcare providers, particularly surgeons, should integrate awareness of these parental information-seeking patterns into their patient counseling strategies.
Introduction:
This study evaluates usage patterns of online health information in parents with children undergoing elective or emergency surgical procedures.
Materials And Methods:
We prospectively surveyed parents of children admitted to our institution for common emergency (appendicectomy, abscess drainage, gonadal torsion) or elective (herniotomy, orchidopexy) operations between March and September 2016. Each completed an anonymized modification of a previously published survey comprising 19 questions on demographic data, Internet usage, and review of Internet resources. Chi-square tests were used for categorical data with p < 0.05 considered significant.
Results:
Eighty-four parents were surveyed: 50(59.5%) elective and 34(40.5%) emergency procedures, with no refusals. Majority were mothers (n = 53; 63.1%). Despite high home Internet availability (n = 81; 96.4%) and high casual Internet usage rates (74 parents, 88.1%, reported daily use), just 38 (76%) parents from the elective group and 24 (70.6%) from the emergency group went online to access their child's admitting condition. Friends and family were more likely to be approached for information in elective (n = 27; 54%) and emergency groups (n = 24;70.6%) than general practitioners or other health care workers. When condition-specific online information was sought, more than 95% felt that the information concurred with the doctor's. Most common reasons were for more information on the condition (n = 56; 90.3%) and on medical treatment (n = 52; 83.9%). Eighteen (18/62; 29%) parents reported excessively technical information. No significant difference in behavior was found comparing elective and emergency groups.
Conclusion:
Approximately one quarter of parents do not access condition-specific online medical information despite high Internet penetration rates. More than half depend on friends and family for additional information, reflecting societal and cultural norms in our population. Surgeons must incorporate awareness of these behaviors during counselling.
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